Spot glue applicator for carton making machines



July 3, 1951 H. v. H. ST'OEVERJR 2,559,175

SPOT GLUE APPLICATOR FOR CARTON mm ucmmss Filed Dec. 1948 4 Sheets-Shed 1 INVENTOR J/eW/j/ [1% dfaeuer d7:

ATTORNEYS SPOT GLUE APPLICATOR FOR CARTON MAKING MACHINES Filed Dec. 3. 1948 July 3, 1 951 H. v. H. STGEVER, JR

4 Shoots-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

INVENTOR /7ew/ [Afdhper 1/ W MM 4 ATTORNEYS July 3, 1951 H. v. H. STOEVER, JR 2,559,175

SPOT GLUE APPLICATOR FOR CARTON MAKING MACHINES 4"Sneets$heet 3 Filed Dec. 5, 1948 ATTO RN 5Y5 July 3, 1951 H. v. H. STOEVER, JR 2, 1 5

SPOT GLUE APFLICATOR FOR CARTON MAKING MACHINES Filed Dec. 5. 1948 4 Shoots-Shut 4 F I G. 5 5

INVENTOR #1 275 15/24 6346175 1/9.-

Patented July 3, 1951 SPOT GLUE APPLICATOR FOR CARTON MAKING MACHINES Henry V. H. Stoever, J r., Durham, N. 0., assignor to The American Tobacco Company, Durham, N. 0., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 3, 1948, Serial No. 63,426

This invention relates to carton making machines and more particularly to an improved apparatus for applying adhesive to parts of a car ton blank as it is fed to the former.

In the manufacture of cartons in certain types of machines the blanks are cut to the proper shape and a pile of the blanks placed at the feed end of the machine. Means are provided for feeding the blanks singly through the machine. As each blank is fed from the stack, adhesive is applied to parts of it and it is then fed to a former. In certain machines now in use the adhesive applying mechanism is complicated and slows down the speed at which the machine may be operated.

In the present invention I provide a simple mechanism for applying adhesive to parts of carton blanks, The mechanism is capable of operating at a higher speed than the adhesive applying mechanism heretofore used and therefore permits the machlne'to operate at a higher speed with a greater output.

In carrying out the invention I provide a pair of rolls rotating above and below the space over which the portion of the carton to which the adhesive is to be applied is fed. Each roll is provided with a segment of larger diameter than the remainder of the roll and the rotation of the rolls is timed to bring these segments info registration as the carton passes between them. The upper roll, which is the adhesive applying roll, is arranged adjacent a series of rolls, one of which is arranged in the adhesive container so that upon rotation of the rolls a film of adhesive is applied to their peripheries. The segment on the upper roll is, at one point of its revolution, tangent to the last of the series of rolls and a layer of adhesive is applied to it as the surface of the segment engages the surface of this roll. Upon further revolution, as the carton passes between the registering segments of the upper and lower rolls,

this adhesive is applied to the desired portion of the carton blank.

The drive shaft of the lower, or pressure, roll is provided with a clutch andI provide mechanism by means of which this clutch is disengaged upon interruption of the feed of the blanks. This prevents the segments of the two rolls from registering with each other in the absence of a carton blank which would result in the application of adhesive to the surface of the pressure roll.

In the accompan ing drawings I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showi i 3 Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the apparatus;

" Fig. 2 is aside elevation 9 Claims; (CI. 91-50) Fig. 3 is a plan view;

Fig. 4 is a detailed, sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view ofthe carton blank; and

Fig. 6 is a detailed view of a portion of one of the conveyor chains.

Referring to Fig. 5 of the drawings, the carton blank B consists of a bottom I, front and rear walls 2 and 3, a top 4 and a closing flap 5. End walls 6 extend from each end of the bottom wall and sealing flaps l are arranged on the ends of the front and rear walls. The present invention is directed to mechanism forapplying adhesive to the carton blank at the points 8. The carton blank is then fed to a former where it is folded along the scored lines 9 between the various wall sections with the sealing flaps 'l on the insides of the end walls 6 and the adhesive activated to cause these sealing flaps .to adhere to the end walls.

Mechanism for forming the carton blanks is known and the present invention is directed solely to the adhesive applying mechanism. The machine comprises a table I 0 supported on a suitable frame and provided with a pair of slots l2 adjacent each side to receive conveyor chains l4. At suitable intervals the conveyor chains are provided with upstanding ears l6 (see Fig. 6). Means, heretofore known, are employed for feeding the individual carton blanks B from a stack (not shown) to the left of the apparatus in Fig. 2 of the drawings to the conveyor chains and the ears l6 engage the rear edges of the blanks to propel them through the apparatus.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the conveyor chains pass over sprockets l8 at the inlet end of the machine mounted on a shaft 20. On the operative flight, the chains are substantially flush with the table with the ears l6 extending upwardly beyond the plane of the table. Near the end of the operative flight the chains pass over sprockets 22 on a shaft 24 and then recede from the plane of the table. The chains pass over sprockets-26 arranged on a shaft 28 which is supported in a 3 blank passes through the apparatus and for the purpose of supporting the adhesive containers and the adhesive applying mechanism, I provide an upper frame member 88. At the rear of this frame member, there is a shaft 40 extending entirely across the apparatus. Thi shaft is provided with a sprocket 42 receiving a chain 44.

Chain 44 also passes over a sprocket 46 on a driven shaft 48. An idler sprocket 50 may engage the chain for the purpose of adjusting its tension. The shaft 40 carries a kick-off device 52 by means of which the cartons are fed from the adhesive applying mechanism to the next section of the machine where the former (not shown) is arranged.

At each side of the machine I support a suitable adhesive tank 54 on the upper frame 38. A roll 58 is mounted on a shaft 58 within the tank and is adapted to dip into the adhesive and obtain a coating of the adhesive on its'outer cylindrical surface. This roll in turn contacts with a roll 80 mounted on a stub shaft 82. Arranged in front of the tank is a stub shaft 04 carrying the adhesive applying roll I58. The shafts 58, 62 and 64 may be supported in suitable brackets 68. As shown in Fig. 4, the roll 68 is spaced from the roll 62 but it is provided with a segment 68 whose surface is tangential to the surface of the roll 02. This segment is also provided with raised portions I corresponding to the size and shape of the two portions of adhesive 8 applied to each end wall as shown in Fig. of the drawings.

As shown, the segment 68 travels tangentially to the surface of the table and at the point where it passes the plane of the table, the table is provided with an opening I2. Pressure rolls I i are mounted on shaft I8 beneath the table and each of the pressure rolls is provided with a segment I8 which, when in the upper position shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, registers with the segment I8.

Shaft 8 3 which carries the sprockets driving the conveyor chains also carries a sprocket 80 which receives a chain 82 passing over a sprocket 85 on a drive shaft 86. Shaft 16 on which the pressure rolls is are mounted is driven by a chain 80 passing over a sprocket 90 on the shaft I8 and over a a sprocket 82 on a shaft 96. The shaft 9a is driven from shaft 86 by a chain 96 passing over a sprocket 98 on shaft 88 and a sprocket I00 on shaft 94.

Each of the shafts 58 is provided with a pinion I02 meshing with pinions I05 on shafts I08. Shafts 64 are provided with gears I 04 meshing with pinions I06 on shafts I08. Shafts 8 2 are provided with gears I09 meshing with pinions I 02. The shafts 58, one at each side of the machine,

I are driven by chains IIO passing over sprockets fed through the apparatus. The end of the rock shaft carries an arm I20 having a link I22 connected to its other end. Link I22 is connected to a pivoted lever I24 intermediate its ends. The lever is pivoted at I26 in a bracket I28 mounted on the frame of the machine. This lever, at its outer end, is provided with a trip plate 204 which controls pawl I30 in a manner hereinafter descrew or the like.

scribed to disengage clutch member I32. The table is provided with openings beneath the rollers I I2 and in the absence of a carton, these rollers drop into this opening, swinging shaft H6 in a clockwise direction in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings and thus depressing the free end of the lever I24 to disengage clutch I82.

The apparatus may also be provided with a suitable embossing device when desired. Thus. where a company has several factories in which a product may be packed and desires some means of ascertaining at which factory a carton was packed, a code indication of some character indicated at C in Fig. 5 may be stamped on each carton. Such an embossing device is represented generally at I38 and is adapted to be depressed as each carton blank passes over it to imprint or emboss the code character C on the carton. It is actuated by a rocker arm I35 pivotally mounted on a bracket I38 on the frame of the machine. The lever I36 carries a cam roller engaging a cam I40 on shaft I82. The shaft I42 is provided with a sprocket I44 which receives a chain I46. This chain passes over a sprocket on the drive shaft 86 to drive it.

As shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the clutch operating lever I243 may be connected to an arm is prevented, but, in the absence of a carton, the

clutch is disengaged when the roller engages portion I53 of the cam, just before the segments I8 reach their operative positions. Fingers I'EI are loosely mounted in a bracket in the path of the carton blanks at the inlet end of the apparatus. As the end blank passes the fingers they fall into engagement with its rear edge to prevent it from moving backward.

Shaft 96 may be provided with a brake I52 which i engaged by a brake band I543 to stop the rotation of the shaft when the clutch I32 is disconnected.

Suitable guide fingers I56 may be arranged over the table and adapted to 'yieldingly engage the surface of the carton blanks. These guide fingers are supported in a suitable bracket I58 carried by threaded rods I80.

Trip plate 208 carries a projection 205 which engages a recess 208 in pawl I30 beyond its'pivot. The member I32 is secured to shaft 95 by a set Pawl I is carried by a disc 202 which is carried by a sleeve 20? (see Fig. 1) surrounding the shaft 84. Sprocket I00 is also carried by this sleeve.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoing description. As the carton blanks B are fed to the apparatus, the rear edge of the blank is engaged by one of the ears It on each of the conveyor chains I 4. The carton is thus propelled through the apparatus, from left to right in Fig. 2. As it passes the code device I34, the suitable code symbol C is embossed on the bottom of the box, the code device I34 being raised and lowered by the cam I40. As long as the blanks are properly fed through the machine, the free end of the lever I24 remains in raised position with the clutch I32 engaged. Shaft I6 carrying the pressure roll I4 is thus rotated and the machine is so timed that the segments 68 and I8 come into registry at the opening I2 in the table. The raised portions III on segments 68 then apply the adhesive to the end walls of the carton blank as indicated at 8 in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The adhesive is received on the raised portions 10 upon each rotation of the adhesive applying rolls when they contact with the edge of the roller 60. The cartons continue to travel toward the rear of the machine as the ears I5 do not recede below the plane of the table until after they have passed the vertical plane of the pressure roll and the adhesive applying roll. At that point the kick-off mechanism 52 engages a portion of the carton blank and feeds it to the former (not shown) In the absence of a blank on the table at the point where the rolls I I2 are mounted. these rolls move downwardly through the openings arranged at that point in the table, swinging the rock shaft I I5 to depress the free end of the lever I24. With the lever thus depressed when cam roller I55 rests on low portion I53 of cam I49, projection 205 engages recess 206 of pawl IN to rock the pawl out of driving engagement with clutch member I32. This disconnects the drive to shaft 15. Brake I52 immediately stops the rotation of this shaft. In the absence of such provision, if the pressure roll I4 were Permitted to rotate to bring segment I8 into registration with segment 68 and there was not a carton blank in the space 12, the adhesive would be applied to the surface of the segment 18. Then upon resumption of proper feed of carton blanks, adhesive would be applied to a blank on the opposite side from where it should normally be applied and there would be adhesive on the outside of the carton when the carton was completed.

As stated above, an important feature of the invention is that the simplicity of the adhesive applying mechanism permits it to be operated at a higher rate of speed than similar mechanism heretofore employed and therefore permits the entire machine to be speeded up.

Iclaim:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising means for conveying blanks, an adhesive applying roll over the path of travel of the blanks, the roll having a segment traveling tangentially to the path of travel of the blank, a pressure roll beneath the path of travel of the blank, the pressure roll having a segment traveling tangentially to the path of the blank, drive means to cause the two segments to contact opposite sides of the blank at the same time, and means controlled by the feed of blanks for interrupting the drive of the pressure roll when a blank is not being fed through the machine to arrest themovement of the pressure roll before the segment reaches a position opposite the segment of the adhesive applying roll.

2. Apparatus of the character described comprising a conveyor for conveying blanks, an adhesive applying roll over the path of travel of the blanks, the adhesive applying roll having a segment traveling tangentially to the path of travel of the blanks. a pressure roll beneath the path of travel of the blanks, the pressure roll being provided with a segment having a path ,of travel tangentially to the path of the blanks, means for rotating the rolls, a clutch in the drive of the pressure roll, and a tripping member in the path of the conveyor connected to the clutch to disengage the clutch upon absence of a blank from the conveyor.

3. In an adhesive applying apparatus comprising a conveyor to convey carton blanks, an adhesive applying roll arranged over the path of the carton blanks and having a portion adapted to contact with the upper face of a carton blank, a pressure roll beneath the path of the conveyor, the pressure roll having a portion adapted to contact with the under side of the carton blank and means for rotating the rolls, in combination, mechanism for interrupting the rotation of the pressure roll in the absence of a blank on the conveyor, said mechanism comprising a roller normally resting on the blank passing over the conveyor, a clutch in the drive of the pressure roll, and connections between the roller and the clutch to disengage the clutch upon lowering of the roller due to the absence of a blank.

4. Adhesive applying mechanism comprising a conveyor to convey carton blanks, an adhesive applying roll arranged over the path of the conveyor, the adhesive applying roll being provided with a segment adapted to contact a carton on the conveyor, a pressure roll arranged beneath the conveyor, the pressure roll being provided with a segment adapted to contact the under side of the carton blank, drive means for the adhesive applying roll, drive means for the pressure roll, a clutch to connect the pressure roll drive means to a source of power, and a tripping member in the path of the conveyor connected to the clutch to disengage the clutch upon absence of a blank from the conveyor.

5. Adhesive applying mechanism comprising a conveyor to convey carton blanks, an adhesive applying roll arranged over the path of the conveyor, the adhesive applying roll being provided with a segment adapted to contact a blank on the conveyor, a pressure roll arranged beneath the conveyor, the pressure roll being provided with a segment adapted to contact the under side of the carton blank, drive means for the adhesive applying roll, drive means controlled by the feed of blanks for the pressure roll, a clutch in the pressure roll drive means, and means for disconnecting the clutch in the absence of a carton blank on the conveyor.

6. Adhesive applying mechanism comprising a conveyor to convey carton blanks, an adhesive applying roll arranged over the path of the conveyor, the adhesive applying roll being provided with a segment adapted to contact a blank on the conveyor, a pressure roll arranged beneath the conveyor, the pressure roll being provided with a segment adapted to contact the under side of the carton blank, drive means for the adhesive applying roll, drive means for the pressure roll, a clutch in the pressure roll drive means, and a roller arranged over the conveyor, the roller being adapted to move downwardly in the absence of a carton blank on the conveyor, and means connecting the roller to the clutch to disengage the clutch upon downward movement of the roller.

7. Adhesive applying apparatus comprising a table having a pair of parallel slots, conveyor chains traveling in the slots, means on the conveyor chains to engage a blank to propel it along the table, the table having an opening there in, a pressure roll under the opening, an adhesive applying roll over the opening, the surfaces of the rolls being spaced from the table, segments carried by each of the rolls of such size that they contact the opposite sides of a carton blank traveling along the table, means for rotating the rolls to bring the segments into contact with the surfaces of the blank, a clutch in the drive means controlled by the feed of blanks of the pressure roll, and means for disengaging the clutch in the absence of a blank on the conveyor.

8. Adhesive applying apparatus comprising a table having a pair of parallel slots, conveyor chains traveling in the slots, means on the conveyor chains to engage a blank to propel it along the table, the table having an opening therein, a pressure roll under the opening, an adhesive applying roll over the opening, the surfaces of the rolls being spaced from the table, segments carried by each of the rolls of such size that they contact the opposite, sides of a carton blank traveling along the table, means for rotating the rolls to bring the segments into contact with the surfaces of the blank, a clutch in the drive means of the pressure roll, rollers arranged over the conveyor and normally retained in raised position by contact with a blank p on the conveyor, and a connection between the rollers and the clutch to disengage the clutch upon downward movement ofthe rollers dueto the absence of a blank on the conveyor. I

9. Adhesive applying apparatus comprising a table having a pair of parallel slots, conveyor chains traveling in the slots, means on'the conveyor chains to engage a blank to propel it along the table, the table having an opening therein, a pressure roll under the opening, an adhesive applying roll over the opening, the surfaces of the rolls being spaced from the table, segments carried by each of the rolls of such size that they contact the opposite sides of a carton blank traveling along the table, drive means to rotate the pressure roll and the adhesive applying roll to bring the segments into contact with the surfaces of the blank, a clutch in the pressure roll drive means, and control mechanism on the table connected to the clutch, said control mechanism being biased toward a position to disengage the clutch but being normally retained in an inoperative position by the presence of a carton blank on the table.

HENRY v. H. STOEVER, JR.

, g REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,163,043 Staude Dec. '7, 1915 1,848,138 Novick Mar. 8, 1932 2,000,325

Ford et al May 7, 1935 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,559,175 July 3, 1951 HENRY V. H. STOEVER, JR. It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 6, lines 11 and 12, strike out controlled by the feed of blanks and insert the same in line 44 after means; column 7, lines 1 and 2, strike out controlled by the feed of blanks and insert the same in line 2 after means;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of October, A. D. 1951.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

